Wave-motor.



F. D. PROUTY.

WAVE- MOTOR.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.18, 1913.

Patented Mar. 17, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

F.D.PROUTY WAVE MOTOR.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.18, 191s.

Patented Mar. 17, 1914.

2 SHBET8-SHEET 2.

FRANK D. PROUTY, OF BANNING, CALIFORNIA.

WAVE-MOTOR.

ineossi.

Application filed August 18, 1913.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented ltiar. 1'7, 1914.

Serial No. 785,422.

T0 (ZZZ 107101171236 may concern:

Be it known that I, F RANK D. PROUTY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Banning, in the county of Riverside and State of California,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in ave-Motors; and Ido hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

T 118 invention comprehends improvements in wave motors and relates moreparticularly to those of the type wherein one or more water wheels,which are rotated by the action of the waves, are employed for thepurpose of generating power.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a novel paddle, orwater wheel, for use in connection with wave motors, which shall be ofextremely simple construction, cheap to manufacture, and very efficientfor the purpose intended.

Another and more specific object of the invention is to provide a wavemotor with a paddle wheel including a plurality of radially extendingpaddle frames upon which sliding paddles are mounted, said paddles beinglighter than the water sothat they will float upon the surface.

With these and other objects in view, as will become more apparent asthe description proceeds, the invention consists in certain novelfeatures of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as willbe hereinafter fully described and claimed.

For a complete understanding .of invention, reference is to be had tothe following description and accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 isa side elevation of my im proved wave motor, showing the same as itappears in use, Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevation of one of thepaddle wheels and the gearing actuated thereby, Fig. 3 is a fragmentaryvertical sectional view through a portion of one of the paddle wheels,parts thereof being shown in elevation, Fig. 4 is a fragmentaryhorizontal sectional view taken on the plane of line 44 of Fig. 3, Fig.5 is a vertical sectional View taken on the plane of line 55 of Fig. 3,and Figs. 6 and 7 are detailed views illustrating the modified form ofgearing, which may be employed in connection with my wave motor.

- In the preferred embodiment of my inventlon I provide a plurality ofpaddle wheels, which are arranged in a seawardly extending line andwhich cooperate to drive a power shaft. It will be understood that anynumber of wheels may be employed, that various arrangements may bedevised and that different forms of gearing may be used for collectingthe power furnished by the rotating wheels.

Referring in detail to the drawing by numerals, 10 designates generallythe paddle wheels. Each wheel comprises a plurality of radial paddleframes having side bars 11 and cross bars 12 connecting the outerextremities of the side bars. The inner ends of the U-shaped paddleframes are secured to hubs 13, which are keyed or otherwise rigidlysecured to a rotatable shaft 14. This shaft is journaled throughsuitable bushings 15 secured in openings formed in preferably concretepiers 16. The piers may be of any desired construction and of any sizeand shape. V

Each of the paddle frames carry a light paddle, generally designated 17These paddles are preferably in the form of steel tanks, which arerectangular in cross section, as clearly shown in Fig. 5. Rollers 18 aresecured to the ends of the tanks and work within channels 19, whichextend longitudinally along the inner sides of the side bars 11 of thepaddle frames. These tanks slide from the outer ends of the paddleframes to the inner ends thereof as the wheels are rotated, and tolessen the shock caused by the paddles being brought to an abrupt stop,I provide each frame with a pair of shock absorbing devices. These shockabsorbing devices are preferably formed by a plurality of spiral springs20, which are connected to sliding cross bars 21 and to the stationarycross bars 12 and 22. The cross bars 21 are opposed to the paddle l7,and their extremities work within the grooves or channels 19. A beveledgear 23 is loosely mounted upon one extremity of each of the shafts 14and carries a spring pressed pawl 24 which engages a ratchet wheel 25rigidly secured to the shaft 14. A power shaft'26 extends at rightangles to the shaft 14 and may be suitably supported upon the piers 16.Beveled gears 27 are rigidly secured to the power shaft 26 and mesh withthe gears 23. A belt wheel 28 may be secured to the power shaft 26 forthe purpose of transferring its energy to any desired machine or place.

It will be seen that a movement of the waves toward the left hand sideof Fig. 1 will cause the paddle wheels to be rotated in such a directionas to drive the gears 23 which in turn drive the shaft 26. In actualpractice the paddle wheels are made of a relatively large diameter,forty feet being found to be about theright size, so that the lowermostpaddle frames will always dip into the water irrespective of the heightof the tide and the waves. As a paddle frame, which is approaching thewater, passes be. low the horizontal plane of the shafts 14;, the paddle17, carried by, said frame, slides outwardly, and as the paddle isforced through the water by a wave, said paddle rides upon the crest ofthe wave, thereby being driven with a maximum amount of power. As thepaddle frame swings upwardly above the surface of the water and passesabovethe horizontal plane of the shafts 14, the paddle slides inwardlytoward the center of the wheel and therefore retards the rotary motionof the wheel very little. In a motor of this type it is almost necessaryto have the paddles movable with respect to the center of the wheel,because the waves act only upon the surface of the water and thereforewould have little, if any, effect upon the paddles if they extended veryfar into the surface. If the paddles were stationary, the shifting tidewould first submerge them to a too great a depth for eflicient operationand would then leave them so high above the surface as to be onlyactuated upon by very high waves. 7

In Figs. 6 and 7,1 have shown a slightly modified form of drivingmechanism, which may be employed, if desired. It will be seen byreference to these figures that a pair of belt wheels 29 and 30 aresecured to each of the shafts 14, and that corresponding wheels areconnected by belts 31. It will be understood that as the waves recede, a

employed is dependent upon the power de sired, and which, because of thestructure of the paddle wheels, is acted upon by the waves with theirmaximum amount of force.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of myinvention, it will be understood that minor changes in construction andarrangement of parts may be made without departing from the scope I andspirit of the invention as claimed.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim:

1. In a. wave motor, a paddle wheel ineluding a plurality of rectangularpaddle frames, the side bars of said paddle frames being longitudinallygrooved, a plurality of spiral springs secured to the end bars of thepaddle frame, cross bars secured to said springs and projecting into thelongitudinal grooves, whereby they are guided, and a float slidablyconnected to each frame for engagement with said cross bars.

In a wave motor, a paddle wheel including a plurality of radial paddleframes of rectangular formation, springs secured to the inner bars ofsaid frame, a second cross bar connected to each of said springs andmovable with relation to the frame, a

FRANK D. PROUTY. Witnesses Gno. L. WING, F. L. PRoU'rY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe "Commissioner of :Iatents, Washington, D. G.

